Ángel Tomás "Tommy" Olivencia Pagán was born in the Vill… Read Full Bio ↴Early years
Ángel Tomás "Tommy" Olivencia Pagán was born in the Villa Palmeras section of Santurce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the city of Arecibo when he was just a child. He received his primary and secondary education in Arecibo. As a young man, he became fascinated with the trumpet and learned to play the musical instrument.
In 1954, Olivencia sang and played the trumpet for local bands. He graduated from high school in 1957 and his family relocated once again to Santurce.
Puertorrican Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarria interviews Tommy Olivencia (1980s)
Puertorrican Salsa DJ Yun Yun Echevarria interviews Tommy Olivencia (1980s)
La Primerisima Orchestra de Puerto Rico
In 1960, Olivencia organized his first orchestra, which he named "Tommy Olivencia y La Primerisima Orchestra de Puerto Rico". His band combined swing and melodic styles together. This combination plus a strong brass contingent in the band was his trademark. Olivencia signed a contract with Inca Records and remained with that label until 1978. In 1972, he had his first major "hit" with Secuestro (Kidnapped) and followed that hit with Juntos de Nuevo (Together Again) in 1974 and Plante Bandera in 1975.
Olivencia's band was also known as the "Tommy Olivencia School", because the band produced some of the best and most talented singers and musicians of salsa in the island. Among those to have belonged to the band at one time or another were: Chamaco Ramirez, Sammy "El Rolo" González, Simon Perez, Paquito Guzman, Ubaldo "Lalo" Rodriguez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Marvin Santiago, Frankie Ruiz, Hector Tricoche, Carlos Alexis, Hector "Pichie" Perez, Paquito "Junior" Acosta and Mel Martínez.
Albums recordings
Tommy Olivencia (c. 1977)
Tommy Olivencia (c. 1977)
Among the albums recorded by Olivencia and his band are:
* Trucu-Tu
* La Nueva Sensacion Musical De Puerto Rico 1965
* Jala-Jala y Guaguancó 1966
* Fire Fire 1967
* A Toda Maquina 1968
* Cuero...Salsa y Sentimiento 1971
* Secuestro (Kidnapped) 1972
* Juntos de Nuevo (Together Again) 1974
* Planté Bandera 1975
* Introducing Lalo Rodríguez and Simón Pérez (1976)
* El Negro Chombo 1977
* La Primerísima 1978
* Sweet Trumpet-Hot Salsa 1978
* Tommy Olivencia y su Orchestra with Paquito Guzmán & Gilberto Santa Rosa (1979)
* Un Triangulo De Triunfo (Triangle of Triumph) (1981)
* Tommy Olivencia y su Orchestra with Frankie Ruiz & Carlos Alexis 1983
* Celebrando Otro Aniversario(Celebrating Another Anniversary) (1984)
* Ayer, Hoy, Mañana y Siempre(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and Always) (1985)
* 30 Aniversario 1987
* El Jeque 1990
* Enamorado y Que! (I'm in Love, What about it?) 1991
* Vive La Leyenda 1998
* 40 Aniversario Live 2002
The following are considered among the top 100 greatest salsa songs:
* Casimira
* Como Lo Hacen (How they do it)
* Trucutru
* Pa'Lante Otra Vez
* Lobo Domesticado (Domestic Wolf)
* No Me Tires La Primera Piedra
Awards and recognitions
Tommy Olivencia Planté Bandera (1975)
Tommy Olivencia Planté Bandera (1975)
Among the many awards and recognitions which have been bestowed upon Olivencia are the following:
* The Puerto Rican Senate passed a resolution congratulating Olivencia and his band for their contributions to Puerto Rico's music.
* El Cordero de Oro (The Golden Lamb) and El Buho de Oro (The Golden Owl) Awards from Panama, for the best foreign band.
* The Golden Agueybana Award from Puerto Rico
* The November 11th Award from Colombia
Later years
On August 2000, Olivencia celebrated his 40th anniversary in the music industry at the Tito Puente Theater in San Juan, an event attended by many of the former members of his band. On May 15, 2004, Olivencia celebrated his 66th birthday and 45 years with the band with a live recording concert. The annual "Day of Salsa" of 2005, celebrated in Puerto Rico was dedicated to Olivencia.
Death
He died on September 22, 2006, aged 68, from complications of diabetes, which he had battled his entire life.
Lápiz De Carmín
Tommy Olivencia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vernos solos de noche y con temor
No se que historias ocultas en tu vida
Si engañas a otro hombre igual que yo.
Tus ojos ya me piden que me calle
Que no interponga nada nuestro amor
Me besas en la oscuridad culpable (bis)
-R-
Y a penas acabamos de besarnos
De dices, que tenemos que partir
Mientras que vas borrando de tus labios
Mi s besos con lápiz de carmín.
No, ya no aguanto mas la forma
De amar que quieres tu
Que yo te quiero llevar conmigo
A sonar de dia y con luz. (bis)
~
Coro:
No, ya no aguanto mas la forma De amar que tienes tu.
Amarnos en el coche y a escondidas
No se que historia ocultas en tu vida.
¡ay no no no.!
Si quieres que yo te quiera
Será solo a mi manera eso lo sabes tu
Tu, con tu lápiz de carmín
Tu borras mis huellas y el sabor a mi.
~
Si tus ojos ya me dicen que me calle
Ya no aguanto mas la forma que tienes de amar.
Que pasara, si acabamos de llegar
Y ya te quieres marchar donde iras.
¡ay no no no.!
Me estoy cansando.
Tommy Olivencia's "Lápiz De Carmín" is a song about a secret love affair between two people who meet in the darkness of night, away from the judging eyes of society. The lyrics describe the experience of being in love in a clandestine way, indulging in a passion that is forbidden, yet impossible to resist. The lovers meet in a car, maybe because this is the only place they can be alone, and share moments of intimacy, kisses, and caresses. They know their love is not accepted in the world they live in, and that they are hiding something from everyone, including themselves. Nevertheless, they cannot help but feel the overwhelming desire to be together, to love each other, to give in to temptation, and forget the world outside.
The chorus of the song "No, ya no aguanto mas la forma de amar que tienes tu" means "No, I can't take it anymore, the way you love me." The singer of the story has come to a realization that they cannot continue to love secretly, that it is not enough anymore. They long for more, a public declaration of their love, and an open relationship where they can be with each other without fear or shame. However, the other person wants to continue the way it is, their love hidden in the shadows, and the affair kept secret. The singer talks about a "lápiz de carmín," meaning red lipstick, which is used to erase the traces of their kisses on the other person's lips, a symbol of their secret love.
Line by Line Meaning
Amarnos en el coche y a escondidas
We love each other in secret in the car
Vernos solos de noche y con temor
We see each other alone at night and with fear
No se que historias ocultas en tu vida
I don't know what hidden stories you have in your life
Si engañas a otro hombre igual que yo.
If you cheat on another man like me
Tus ojos ya me piden que me calle
Your eyes are asking me to be quiet
Que no interponga nada nuestro amor
Not to let anything come between our love
Me besas en la oscuridad culpable (bis)
You kiss me in guilty darkness
Envuelta en el ruido del motor.
Wrapped in the sound of the engine
Y a penas acabamos de besarnos
And we barely finish kissing
De dices, que tenemos que partir
You say we have to leave
Mientras que vas borrando de tus labios
While you erase my kisses from your lips
Mi s besos con lápiz de carmín.
My kisses with a red lipstick
No, ya no aguanto mas la forma
No, I can't take it anymore
De amar que quieres tu
The way you want to love
Que yo te quiero llevar conmigo
That I want to take you with me
A sonar de dia y con luz. (bis)
To dream during the day and with light
No, ya no aguanto mas la forma De amar que tienes tu.
No, I can't take it anymore, the way you love
Coro:
Chorus:
Tu, con tu lápiz de carmín
You, with your red lipstick
Tu borras mis huellas y el sabor a mi.
You erase my footprints and the taste of me
Si tus ojos ya me dicen que me calle
If your eyes are telling me to be quiet
Ya no aguanto mas la forma que tienes de amar.
I can't take it anymore, the way you love
Que pasara, si acabamos de llegar
What will happen if we just arrived
Y ya te quieres marchar donde iras.
And you already want to leave, where will you go?
Me estoy cansando.
I'm getting tired.
Writer(s): Lopez Cepero Garcia Francisco, Rivera Cross Pedro
Contributed by Layla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.